One-handed boat paddle



Nov. 5, 1963 H. E. MOORE,.JR 3

ONE-HANDED BOAT PADDLE Filed Sept. 18, 1961 Fig. l4

Herman .E Moore, Jz

INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,109,184 (PINE-HANDED BOAT PADDLE Herman E. Moore,In, Rte. 1, Box 231l-A, Castle Hayne, N..

Filed Sept. 18, 1961,5212 No. 138,683 2 Claims. (1. 924) This inventionrelates to a novel and useful one-handed boat paddle and has beenprimarily designed for providing a means whereby a fisherman mayconveniently handle a paddle with only one hand.

In many instances, the act of fishing quite often requires the use ofboth hands. While conventional oars and/or paddles may be grasped bymeans of only one hand and used to propel a boat, it is very ditficultto do so. In some cases a fisherman attempting to paddle a boat with onehand and using a conventional paddle or oar will accidentally drop thepaddle or oar thus requiring that he temporarily terminate his fishingactivitiesand retrieve the dropped oar or paddle.

3,39,384 Patented Nov. 5, 1963 ferred to by the reference numeral 12.The paddle member 12 has a paddle blade portion 14 formed on one end andan arm brace portion 16 formed on the other end. A diametrically reducedhandgrip and shank portion generally referred to by the referencenumeral 18 is disposed between the paddle blade portion 14 and the armbrace portion 16.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to I convenientlyby a fisherman to paddle his boat and yet which may be engaged with thearm of the fisherman in such a manner whereby his one hand may bereleased from engagement with the one-handed boat paddle without thepaddle dropping from engagement with his arm.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the precedingobject, is to provide a one-handed boat paddle constructed in a mannerwhereby the paddle may be efliciently used by a fisherman to paddle hisboat.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a onehanded boatpaddle constructed in a manner enabling a fisherman to paddle his boatin one-handed fashion without extreme effort and skill being required onthe part of the fisherman.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide aone-handed boat paddle in accordance with the preceding object whichwill conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simpleconstruction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will beeconomically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free inoperation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the one-handed boat paddle of theinstant invention shown engaged with the arm of a fisherman and by thefishermans hand for the purpose of paddling a boat, a released anddepending position of the paddle being shown in phantom lines;

FIGURE 2 is atop plan view of the one-handed paddle;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the paddle takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary bottomplan view of the paddle takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE3;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view of the paddle taken substantiallyupon the plane indicated by the section line 55 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially upon theplane indicated by the section line 66 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generallydesignates the one-handed boat paddle of the instant invention whichincludes an elongated and substantially straight paddle member generallyre- .principles of the invention.

With attention now directed to FIGURES 2 through 6, it will be seen thatthe arm brace portion 16 comprises a frame generally referred to by thereference numeral 20 which defines an opening 22 in the paddle 11). Theframe 2!) includes opposite side members 24 and 26 and it may beobserved from FIGURE 3 of the drawings that the forward ends of the sidemembers 24 and 26 curve smoothly toward each other and laterally towardthe plane in which the paddle blade portion 14 and shank portion 18 aredisposed. Further, the inner surfaces of the rear ends of the sidemembers 24 and 26 curve smoothly toward each other. The paddle bladeportion 14 and shank portion 18 are disposed in one plane and it will benoted that the frame 29 is disposed in a second plane which is spacedlaterally from the plane containing the blade and shank portions 14 and1 8 a distance approximately equal to the thickness of a persons wrist.The smoothly curving forward ends of the side members 24 and 26 define acradle generally referred to by the reference numeral 28 for cradlingthe lower surface of the wrist 30- of the arm 32 of the fishermangenerally referred to by the reference numeral 33. The fishermans arm 32includes a hand portion which may be utilized to encircle the handgripand shank portion 18 and a forearm portion 36 which is loose lyreceivable through the opening 22. The rear end of the frame 2% istransversely bowed and opens toward the plane in which the blade andshank portions 14 and 18 are disposed.

The transversely bowed portion '38 is defined by a pair of laterallyprojecting lugs 40 and 42 carried by opposite sides of the frame 29 andit will be noted that the cradle portion 38 is adapted to cradle theupper surface of the forearm 36 adjacent the elbow -40 of the fishermansarm 32.

With attention now directed to FIGURE 1 of the draw ings it will benoted that the forearm 36 is received through the opening 22 and thatthe hand 34- encircles I the shank portion 18 when the fisherman 33 isgrasping the boat paddle 16 in a manner tov paddle a boat. If it becomesnecessary for the fisherman 33 to use his hand 34-, he may release theshank portion 18 and allow the paddle 10 to assume the blade portion 14downward position illustrated in phantom lines. In this manner, his hand34 may be used together with his other hand (not shown) to control andoperate a fishing rod.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the Further, sincenumerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilledin the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exactconstruction and operation shown and described, and accordingly allsuitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, fallingwithin the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A one-handed boat paddle comprising an elongated and substantiallystraight paddle member, a paddle blade portion formed on one end of saidmember, an arm brace portion formed on the other end of said member anda diametrically reduced handgi'ip and shank portion formed between saidarm brace portion and said blade portion, said arm brace portiondefining an elongated generally rectangular frame extendinglongitudinally of said paddle, lying in a plane substantiallyparalleling but laterally olfset to one side of the plane containingsaid blade and shank portions a distance approximately equal to thethickness of a persons wrist from the inside to the outside thereof anddefining an opening adapted to loosely receive the forearm of the userof the paddle the end of said frame remote fromsaid blade portion beingtransversely bowed and opening toward said second-mentioned plane so asto be adapted to cradle the forearm of a user of the paddle adjacent theelbow, said frame including opposite side members, the forward ends ofsaid side members curving smoothly toward each other and laterallytoward said second-mentioned plane so as to be adapted to cradle theWrist of the user of the paddle.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the inner sur-,

faces of the rear ends of said side members curve smooth- 1y toward eachother.

5 References flied in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,188,343 Flournoy Jan. 30, 1940 2,745,119 Whipple May 15, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS Italy Aug. 22, 1936

1. A ONE-HANDED BOAT PADDLE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED AND SUBSTANTIALLYSTRAIGHT PADDLE MEMBER, A PADDLE BLADE PORTION FORMED ON ONE END OF SAIDMEMBER, AN ARM BRACE PORTION FORMED ON THE OTHER END OF SAID MEMBER ANDA DIAMETRICALLY REDUCED HANDGRIP AND SHANK PORTION FORMED BETWEEN SAIDARM BRACE PORTION AND SAID BLADE PORTION, SAID ARM BRACE PORTIONDEFINING AN ELONGATED GENERALLY RECTANGULAR FRAME EXTENDINGLONGITUDINALLY OF SAID PADDLE, LYING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLYPARALLELING BUT LATERALLY OFFSET TO ONE SIDE OF THE PLANE CONTAININGSAID BLADE AND SHANK PORTIONS A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THETHICKNESS OF A PERSON''S WRIST FROM THE INSIDE TO THE OUTSIDE THEREOFAND DEFINING AN OPENING ADAPTED TO LOOSELY RECEIVE THE FOREARM OF THEUSER OF THE PADDLE THE END OF SAID FRAME REMOTE FROM SAID BLADE PORTIONBEING TRANSVERSELY BOWED AND OPENING TOWARD SAID SECOND-MENTIONED PLANESO AS TO BE ADAPTED TO CRADLE THE FOREARM OF A USER OF THE PADDLEADJACENT THE ELBOW, SAID FRAME INCLUDING OPPOSITE SIDE MEMBERS, THEFORWARD ENDS OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS CURVING SMOOTHLY TOWARD EACH OTHER ANDLATERALLY TOWARD SAID SECOND-MENTIONED PLANE SO AS TO BE ADAPTED TOCRADLE THE WRIST OF THE USER OF THE PADDLE.